KENDRIKA'S DESTINY

Kendrika ran from the barn, but she was already late for family dream sharing. Another scolding and hard looks from Brother and Father along with Mother’s sad smile and nod greeted her. Breathless, she took her seat saying, “Sorry for being late.”

Mother nodded, “How were the horses?”

           “Good. I lost track of time.”

           Father grumbled, “You missed breakfast and here you are late again. You know dream sharing is important. We will discuss this later.”

           Her foster brother Beleal smirked at her but said nothing. He rarely spoke and mostly ignored her. He had been with the family as a fosterling for a year and would move to another family soon. Fosterlings were moved about frequently.

           Mother also said nothing.

           “Let us start,” Father said and nodded to Mother to begin.

           Each in turn shared something they had experienced in their dream time during the night.

           After each sharing, Father asked the question, “What did you learn?”

           There was always something to learn. Usually, it was a small learning but once in a while, it was a great learning, something destined to be part of your life-tools collection. Kendrika wasn’t really listening as she should have but letting her mind loosen and drift back to the horses until suddenly, she heard Father impatiently call her name.

           “Kendrika, your sharing,” his tone indicating he had already called her at least once before.

           Kendrika blinked and cleared her throat, “I had another falling dream,” she stated plainly without embellishing details.

           “And?” questioned Father.

           “Nothing, I fell, splat, splash into a lake and woke up still slightly damp,” she replied and locked eyes with Father.

           “Kendrika, why do you refuse to exercise your training and transform falling into flying?” he asked genuinely baffled.

           “I don’t get hurt, and I don’t want to fly,” she repeated the answer she had been giving to this question ever since her falling dreams had begun intensifying around her tenth birthday a couple of moons ago.

           “Kendrika, you know that’s irresponsible of you,” Mother chided her.

           “I know,” Kendrika murmured and hung her head. It was imperative that she follow the training she had received in the skill of transforming falling into flying, but she resisted. She knew this was an important step in her development as a dreamer. It would advance her from beginner to intermediate in a key area of dream control, and widen the possibilities of where her dreams might take her. It was an absolutely necessary step in her training as a dream-traveler in her family’s tradition.

           Dream sharing for the day ended, but Kendrika knew from Father’s look that there would be consequences for her choice.

Those were not long in coming. Later that same day, Father summoned her from caring for the horses. He and Mother took her to the Dream Council. With her present, they explained to the Dream Council their frustration at her refusal to transform her falling dreams into flying dreams, which they were sure she was capable of doing. Then, they left the chamber leaving her alone with the Council.

           “Child, what do you feel when you are falling?” First Councilor asked.

           “The rushing air,” she answered.

           “And what emotion?” Second Councilor asked.

           “Excitement,” she answered continuing, “yes, it’s exciting.”

           “What do you see in your dream-mind as you fall?” Third Councilor pushed her to reveal more.

           “I see streams of light filled with images I do not recognize.”

           The three councilors nodded in understanding.

           “Would you like to visit other places in your dreams?” asked First Councilor.

           Kendrika paused before answering. She hadn’t expected to be asked this question.

           “Yes, I would.”

           “And, dear child, you shall, but first you must master dream-control and then whole new vistas will open to you. The choice is yours,” First Councilor stated gently.

           “Is transforming falling into flying the key to dream travel?”

           “Mastery of transformation of falling dreams into flying dreams and sharing in dream circle are required. To demonstrate that mastery, you are to spend the next fortnight of dream time transforming falling dreams into flying dreams and sharing those dream experiences in dream circle. You will return to us at the end of that time for further sharing with us. You are dismissed.”

           There was no arguing with the Council. Kendrika nodded assent and left the chamber.

           Mother and Father were waiting for her when she exited the chamber.

           When they reached home, Kendrika announced to her parents, “I’m ready. Tonight will be different.”

           Kendrika followed the guidance of the Dream Council. Within each dream time she consistently transformed her falling dreams into flying dreams steadily gaining in dream control and self-confidence. Her flights were short and local but freeing while immersing her deeper and deeper into her dream world.

           After a fortnight, and accompanied by her parents, she returned to the Dream Council and shared everything that happened during the fortnight’s dream time with the councilors, who were pleased with her progress. They informed her and her parents it was time for her to receive advanced training as a dream traveler. To receive this training, she would be sent to the Dream Traveler Academy for a complete course of study.

           A few years passed with Kendrika learning increasingly complex techniques of dream travel. When she was sixteen and in her final year of training, she could feel herself on the brink of a huge breakthrough, and then it happened.

           One night during her dream-time, a portal opened in her dream and she passed through it only to find herself in a different world. The sky in this world was red, not blue. There were two suns in that red sky and they each pulsated with a purple corona throwing heat onto the world. There were various plants, some tall, some small, some carrying fruits, and some not. As Kendrika looked around, the realization that she had truly entered this foreign world in her dream time, startled her awake. Unable to wait until dream circle to share this dream, she awakened the prefect of her circle and told her what had happened. The prefect knew this was unusual, even for a dream traveler in her final year of training, so she notified the Dream Council.

           That very night, the Dream Council held a special session to which Kendrika was summoned. She shared everything she could remember about the circumstances preceding the dream, as well as the details of the dream itself. The Council told her to return to her room and continue to sleep and dream. They would ponder this and speak to her again later.

           Kendrika did as she was bid. She easily fell asleep and dreamed again. Instead of a new dream, the same dream started exactly where it had left off when she had startled and awakened, except this time she was lucid, aware she was dreaming, inside the dream. She discovered that by concentrating on an object within the dream she was able to effect a change on that object. She was able to change the world inside the dream rather than simply experience the world inside the dream, and she was aware of exercising this power. She practiced making small changes such as moving a plant a little bit from its original position to a new one, or changing the color of a flower’s petals, or making a small creature appear and disappear. This was exhaustive dreaming as it seemed to take a lot of imaginal power to enact these small changes.

At the first light of dawn, she awoke in her bed drenched in sweat. She rose, showered, dressed, and proceeded to dream circle. She expected to share what had happened with her cohort in dream circle. But, instead, she received a summons to again appear before the Dream Council in their formal chamber. She made her way there pondering on what she had experienced and what it might possibly mean.

Despite the early hour, the three councilors were dressed in ceremonial robes and seated on the dais in their council seats in the chamber when she arrived. She had the distinct impression that they had already been conversing about her.

“Good morning, Kendrika,” welcomed First Councilor. “Let us begin. Tell us about what happened in your second dream time last night.”

Kendrika complied telling the councilors what she had seen and experienced in her dream including becoming aware of the portal opening and passing through it to another world where she was able to use her imaginal powers and effect small physical changes upon that world.

“And you were lucid in this dream, were you not?” asked First Councilor.

“Yes, I was.”

“What did that feel like?” asked Second Councilor.

“It felt like I was inside the dream and outside the dream all at the same time,” she answered.

“You were,” confirmed the three councilors together.

Third Councilor asked the question that was always asked, “What did you learn from this dream experience?”

Kendrika paused sorting out in her mind what she had learned before even attempting to answer.

“I learned that being a lucid dream traveler is fraught with both power and responsibility. I suspect that being able to effect even small changes on a world means that with more training and practice, I could cause larger changes. Frankly, this is both exciting and terrifying to me.”

“As it should be,” commented First Councilor and the others nodded. “Anything else?”

“Yes, I didn’t ask for this ability. It seemed to come unbidden, and yet I didn’t hesitate to walk through the portal when it first appeared before me. So, I am assuming that this ability to pass from one world to another is part of my destiny and that my dream-self knew that though my waking-self did not.”

“An accurate surmisal,” confirmed First Councilor and the others nodded.

“May I ask a question?”

“More than one if you wish,” granted First Councilor and the others nodded.

“Are there other lucid dream-travelers who like me can pass through portals into other worlds and create changes there?”

“Yes, it’s a rare gift, but you are not alone.”

“Will I receive more training and be introduced to these others who are like me?”

“Yes.”

“Will that start soon?”

“Yes. Very soon. The fact that this happened to you spontaneously indicates that such training is needed imminently or otherwise you will likely have experiences for which you are not prepared. This imaginal power you mentioned, for instance, is a term that isn’t used amongst dream travelers unless they are also lucid dreamers, and we do not train lucid dreamers. One either is a lucid dreamer, or one is not a lucid dreamer. In our experience lucid dreamers find out they are such by having a lucid dream experience once they have mastered transforming falling dreams into flying dreams, which you have done. It is a gift to be taken quite seriously,” explained First Councilor.

Second Councilor continued, “Do not fear. Now that the gift has appeared, you will receive the training you need from those who have mastered lucid dream travel. You will learn how to use this gift for the common good of the people who occupy whatever worlds to which you may travel.”

“Is it a given that I will travel to other worlds?”

Third Councilor spoke, “Yes. That is why your special training will begin very soon. You will return home and be given three days to bid farewell to your family and friends. During that time, to protect you and others, you will take a sleeping draught each night that will prevent you from dropping into dream-time but will give you complete rest as you sleep. On the morning of the fourth day, you will come back here and we will have made all the travel arrangements for your training to begin.”

“Will I ever see my family again?” Kendrika asked.

“Perhaps, one day. We cannot say for certain. But they will have everything explained to them and will be recognized for the sacrifice they make giving you over to your destiny of serving the universal common good,” First Councilor spoke again.

“You mentioned the common good before, so I assume that’s important.”

Second Councilor responded, “Yes, because these powers that have awakened in you can be used for ill, as well as good. Thus, the necessity for your training that will assist you in rejecting the temptations that will arise along the way from the Dark Force which exists on many worlds. You experienced just a touch of this Dark Force when you refused to master transforming falling dreams into flying dreams. That refusal as a child was a peek at how unbridled excitement such as you described you felt in falling dreams can consume a dreamer over-riding all else. The lust for individual power rather than focusing on the common good for all the people is a danger you will encounter on many worlds.  But, with training and practice, you will be able to make decisions in alignment with the common good for the residents of the worlds you visit as a lucid dream-traveler.”

“We believe you are ready. We will meet with you every six months once you start your training and begin to mingle with other lucid dream-travelers. There is one last question we must ask you,” First Councilor was drawing this meeting to a conclusion.

All the councilors rose from their seats and beckoned her to approach the dais. She did so. First Councilor motioned her to kneel. She obeyed.

Third Councilor spoke for all, “Do you accept your destiny which is forever tied to the responsibility of this gift and will you put forth your best efforts throughout your training and your life of service?”

“What happens if I refuse?” asked Kendrika quietly.

“Your dream-travel abilities will be stripped from you for your own safety and that of others, but you will live a pleasant life in our world as one who does not dream-travel.”

Kendrika thought it was as it should be.

“I accept my destiny and will do as you have asked.”

“Thank you. Rise. Your parents will be informed. Return now to your home. Your new life begins on the morning of the fourth day from today,” First Councilor dismissed her.

After Kendrika left, First Councilor turned to the others asking, “What do you think?”

“I believe she has a good heart, but will need close monitoring,” stated Second Councilor.

“I believe also that she has a good heart, but that like so many things in life as we know it, only time will tell,” Third Councilor said.

They all three nodded in agreement and solemnly departed from the chamber.

Kendrika’s new life began as foretold by the three councilors. Like them, she knew that only time would tell in what ways her destiny would unfold. She accepted that fact and looked forward to the future.